The teacher who took on Rooney

THE Welsh headteacher who criticised the leniency shown to Wayne Rooney and other top footballers who swear at referees has spoken of how he is surprised but delighted at how popular the issue has become.

THE Welsh headteacher who criticised the leniency shown to Wayne Rooney and other top footballers who swear at referees has spoken of how he is surprised but delighted at how popular the issue has become.

Dr Chris Howard, of the National Association of Head Teachers union in Wales, said Rooney's failure to be disciplined for continually swearing at the referee set a poor example to young children.

Tony Blair backed his comments, as well as other teaching unions and professional bodies.

Dr Howard, who is head teacher at Lewis School, Pengam, north of Caerphilly, said he was pleased with the response to his comments.

He said, "The Prime Minister covered it in Prime Minister's Questions and colleagues in the Secondary Heads Association took the matter up and added the call for all football matches to be shown after the watershed.

"A lot of the media are now treating it as an issue in sport and indeed, the treatment of the retirement of the referee (Anders Frisk) is really coming back to the same point."

Frisk retired from football last week after receiving death threats following his handling of the Champions League match between Chelsea and Barcelona.

Dr Howard said, "All of a sudden it has become a generalised issue. I am very pleased it has received a great deal of attention, it is focusing the minds of policy makers on footballers as role models and quite clearly they need to modify their behaviour.

"It is for the footballing governing bodies to sort out. I heard the former Premiership referee Keith Cooper talking on radio, saying it is just as bad at local level and they can't get people to referee the amateur game in Wales.

"It just consolidates my impression that figures previously held in authority, such as teachers, police and doctors, are now bad mouthed as part of routine culture and it undermines authority."

Dr Howard had told the Western Mail that in his role within the union he had heard of some "quite horrific stories" from colleagues.

The former president of the National Union of Head Teachers Cymru explained that bad behaviour today can include assaults on teachers or extreme verbal abuse of a teacher, including flagrant use of the "F" word or sexually explicit language.

Dr Howard said, "I have had letters from all around the country congratulating me and when I came out of my rugby club after the match on Sunday somebody came up to me about what I said. There is obviously something in it. The union has meetings coming up in the next couple of days and I will be raising it again.

"I haven't had any negative reaction from parents and a lot of people have been very positive about it. There is a voice out there waiting to be listened to.

"Government policy needs to start reflecting that, but it would be sad if it becomes party political because that is unlikely to be helpful in the short term."The television watchdog Mediawatch-UK - the new name for the concern group started by Mary Whitehouse - said last week that broadcasters should refuse to screen football matches unless players clean up their act.

Dr Howard added, "It is a minority of youngsters who do behave badly and show no respect or unacceptable behaviour patterns.

"There are certain things we can do to encourage and support young people. Rooney is a product of his generation, not the making of it. But footballers are very well paid people and we should be asking more of them in return for what we give them."

Footballers behaving badly

September 21, 2003Manchester United v Arsenal United and Arsenal were fighting for top-dog status in the Premiership and following years of public squabbling between the clubs' managers, Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, the spat flowed onto the pitch in a mass brawl. Several Arsenal players surrounded Ruud van Nistelrooy after the Dutchman missed a penalty in injury time.

October 24, 2004Manchester United v ArsenalThis time the game at Old Trafford was marred by an alleged tunnel fracas where pizza was thrown at Alex Ferguson. The food-throwing was denied by the Arsenal players.

March 2, 2005Premiership player banned for confronting match officialsSouthampton player David Prutton was handed a 10-match ban by the Football Association after admitting two charges of improper conduct. Prutton was sent off in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal. He then pushed referee Alan Wiley and tried to confront the assistant referee.

March 2005Referee Anders Frisk retiresFrisk left football citing death threats against him from Chelsea fans after the West London club's Champions League game with Barcelona. Chelsea manager Jose Murinho criticised Frisk's performance during the match.